Chris Carter

Setting aside specific time each day (or at least a couple times a week) to lead your family in worship is an important thing for a man to do. The man is the head of the family, and family is the first government that God instituted in creation. One of the purposes of this government is worship; a man is not only to provide for his family’s physical well-being and protection, but also to guard against heresies and unbelief in his own family, and to nourish his own with spiritual nourishment from the word of God.

Family worship fulfills many functions in this regard. It is a means of raising your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). It fulfills a man’s duty to teach his wife spiritual things, as he is responsible for her spiritual well-being (1 Corinthians 14:35). It cultivates family culture and discipline. It gives everyone something to look forward to during the day. It provides an environment for spiritual questions to be fielded by members of your family. It turns your household into an outpost of stability, truth, and joy in an otherwise chaotic, deceptive, and stale world. It guards against hypocrisy by prioritizing worship as an important aspect of the day, one that doesn’t just get discarded when the family gets too bust. It also gives your kids and your wife a man to look up to as they seek to follow Christ; even among Christians, many fathers don’t practice what they preach, much less take an active role in cultivating the faith of their family members.

It also has a rich history in the reformed and presbyterian tradition. It was a common cultural practice among the Dutch to read the scriptures and lead the family in prayer at the end of dinner. The Westminster Standards include a Directory for Family Worship to aid men in leading family worship, and puritan pastors would personally assist men who were having trouble getting started with this practice.

I had trouble getting started myself. If you are too, my advice is to not try to do too many things. Start by reading a chapter from the Bible at the end of dinner. This is a very simple, helpful, and historic practice.

We have since added a few practices to our family worship. After dinner, I usually read some scripture aloud, then we sing a psalm, then we read from the Westminster Confession, and then we work through catechism questions.

A good way to get into psalm singing is to buy a psalter with a variety of psalms in it, and then follow along with an audio recording as you initially learn it. We are currently working through learning some songs in the Cantus Christi, which contains songs from many different historical psalters. We enjoy Thomas Jarman’s arrangement of Psalm 98, which is a popular tune in many reformed churches (bonus points if you and your wife can sing each of the parts). We have also found the Genevan Psalter website to be helpful, as it has audio files and sheet music for each psalm.

If you subscribe to the Westminster Standards, I highly recommend buying a copy of The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms published by the OPC. It is a quality hardcover book containing the Confession and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms and accompanying proofs from scripture. We prefer the Westminster Shorter Catechism for its bevity, thoroughness, and historical grounding. I’m wary of many new things, including new catechisms. Other historic catechisms like the Heidelburg are wonderful, but might be a bit too wordy or long for a family event.

If your church is confessional or uses a catechism or psalter, then adopting those resources into your family worship can help your children feel more at home during a church service, and be in better “practice” for what happens on Sunday morning.

As I grow in my skill and knowledge of leading family worship, I will update this post with resources and tips that have given my family success in this practice.